ERIC Number: ED650627
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 105
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-5570-3670-2
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Language in the Psychotherapeutic Process and the Bilingual Hispanic Psychotherapist's Sense of Identity
Pauline Levy Frydman
ProQuest LLC, Psy.D. Dissertation, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
As the demand for bilingual psychotherapists rises, understanding the effects of language and bilingualism on psychotherapy becomes increasingly important. The literature, mostly focused on the client's experience, suggests that the language used in the therapy room has an impact on the therapeutic process and relationship. This qualitative study explores the internal and interpersonal experiences of bilingual psychotherapists, adding to and deepening the pool of data about the impact of language in psychotherapy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine Hispanic, Spanish-English bilingual, and psychodynamically-oriented psychotherapists. An ethnographically informed, modified grounded theory (Corbin and Strauss, 1990; McCracken, 1988) was used to analyze the data. Findings support previous research and personal accounts from psychotherapists in the literature. Most participants endorsed experiencing language-related identity differences, and a few also reported experiencing a reduction in the internal and interpersonal differences in each language over time. On average, participants indicated they felt more connected to their clients and to their emotions when they spoke in Spanish, and more professional, competent, and emotionally contained when they spoke in English. Additionally, participants reported that being trained and supervised in the language of practice improved their competency as clinicians and strengthened their ability to connect with their clients in therapy. These findings highlight the importance of increasing psychotherapists' awareness of the impact of language on the therapeutic experience. The study also underscores the need to train and supervise psychotherapy students in the language of practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Psychotherapy, Bilingualism, Self Concept, Hispanic Americans, Counselor Client Relationship, Allied Health Personnel, Spanish, English, Counselor Attitudes
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A